What is the basis for the 30-mph frontal-impact requirement of WC19?
As indicated above, the WC19 wheelchair and WTORS standards are based on existing federal safety standards for passenger vehicles. Although a dynamic side-impact test was implemented as a federal safety standard a few years ago, the frontal crash test has historically been the US government’s first and primary priority in occupant protection because more than half of all serious and fatal injuries occur in frontal crashes. Thus, FMVSS 208 Occupant Crash Protection requires that vehicles are barrier crash tested at 30 mph. In addition, FMVSS 213 Child Restraint Systems requires that child safety seats are sled-impact tested at 30 mph. Following the precedents set by these federal safety standards, both national and international standards for wheelchairs designed for use in transportation and WTORS have used a 30-mph crash pulse. It should be noted that 30 mph refers to the change in vehicle speed or “delta V” experienced by the vehicle in a crash, and not to the speed of the vehicle pr
